After 50th Anniversary - Quo Vadis, CCA?

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

No preference updated.

14 March 2007
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Medan, Indonesia
10 March 2007

On 9 March 2007, the last day of the two-day General Committee meeting of the Christian Conference of Asia held at Medan, Indonesia, members were united in expressing gratefulness to the Indonesian churches for their generous hospitality and their very able and systematic organizing and hosting of the 50th anniversary events in Parapat, in Pematang Siantar, and in Medan, all in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The fact that all the churches in Indonesia (including CCA member churches as well as those that are not) had come together to host the activities from 4 to 7 March is a concrete sign of the unity that is already there in Christ Jesus, our common Savior. The kind support of state officials, including the presence of Muslim brothers and sisters to greet during some parts of the events, was also a concrete sign of the wider unity that we are all called to live out as we get engaged in "building communities of peace for all", the theme of the CCA in the years 2006-2010.

However, the committee members expressed sympathy for the loved ones of the victims of the two calamities that had happened (an earthquake and a plane crash) during the time of the anniversary celebration. These sad incidents in the life of Indonesian people heightened the concern for environmental sustainability in Asia,with a visible sign of commitment being made not only through discussions at the international symposium and speeches during the other events, but most especially through the tree planting activity at the government-given land in Parapat, which is now the CCA garden.

In a speech to a crowd of around 150,000 people gathered at the Teladan Stadium in Medan on 7 March, Dr. Prawate Khid-arn, General Secretary of CCA, described the 50th anniversary as not merely a time to celebrate, but also to "thank God for accompanying us right through the past 50 years. We have also come to seek God's forgiveness for our lack of courage to witness and to take a stand for justice and peace amidst the challenging realities and to renew commitment to become ambassadors of Jesus Christ to transform the principalities and powers of this world which kill the innocent, deny food, shelter, education, and security, to the majority of our people and abuse God's creation."

Speeches of the early ecumenical pioneers who conceived the Christian Conference of Asia (then the East Asia Christian Conference) in Parapat in 1957 recalled the challenges that went with the movement for genuine independence from colonization and imperialism among the countries in Asia. The ecumenical movement was born as a concrete sign of the Asian people's determination to uphold their freedom and dignity and to live out their being a witnessing community, called to witness to the reconciling power of Christ.

What will happen next? What will be the direction of the CCA in the coming years?

Having heard the stories, paper presentations, scripture studies, and dialogues and conversations, the following were offered as recommendations summarized by a listening team at the international symposium and which were heard by the General Committee at its meeting on 8 March in Medan:

1. CCA needs to strengthen links with member churches and councils.
* Ecumenical movement must be rooted in the local congregations.
* There must be improved information sharing (to build trust, friendship and ownership) through better communication methods, translations of publications, etc.
* There must be visits to churches and councils.
* For CCA activities to have an impact on the lives of people -- resulting in trust building, friendship and ownership -- there must be needs analysis for programs.
* Opportunities to host/own CCA programs will result from the trust and friendship that are built.
* There must be sustained leadership development in member churches and councils.

2. CCA needs to explore relationships beyond the member churches and councils. The plurality in Asia calls for a wider ecumenism, i.e. for unlimited relationships.

* This means expanding or reviving the geographical membership (e.g. churches in China and Singapore could be brought or welcomed back to the CCA).
* This means fostering intra-faith dialogue with Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches.
* This also means promoting interfaith dialogue among the different peoples of faiths in Asia.

3. CCA must explore the emerging missiological / theological issues of the present time.
* This includes listening to the CCA story from the perspective of the underside/marginalized (not only the winner’s side).
* This includes identifying present empires (e.g. colonialism and neocolonialism) that usurp the freedom and dignity of the peoples in Asia.
* This includes clarifying relationships between mission, evangelism and witness and CCA's missiological role.
* This includes affirming CCA role in intervention and advocacy especially in challenging difficulties of calamities, injustice and oppression.
* This also includes promoting environmental sustainability.

Terima kasih to all our sisters, brothers and friends in Indonesia!